Secrets of growing tomatoes in open ground. Preparing the soil for planting tomatoes

Planting Tomatoes in open ground is done with Tomato seedlings, usually in the first week of summer. You also need to pay attention to the characteristics of Tomato varieties.

In the fall they begin to prepare the soil for planting tomatoes. For these purposes, it is necessary to fertilize the soil and when digging, you should add potassium chloride and superphosphate, 400 grams, for every 10 square meters. meters, to a depth of 30 cm.

If you did not have time to apply manure, plant tomatoes in open ground, then at the beginning of spring, before harrowing, you will need to add saltpeter at the rate of 200 grams. on - 10 sq. meters, to a depth of 15 cm. The same should be done with the rest of the fertilizers when spring work, but only if they were not introduced in the fall.

For spring fertilizer for planting tomatoes in open ground, nitrophoska will also work, for every 10 sq. m., - 600 gr. Another well-proven way to fertilize the soil for planting tomatoes is a mixture of compost and ash, at a rate of 1.5 tbsp. ash onto a compost bucket and the holes or furrows are fertilized with this mixture.

Planting Tomato seedlings

It is better to start planting Tomato seedlings in open ground in the afternoon, so that during the night the Tomato seedlings become stronger and better tolerate planting in open ground.

To plant Tomato seedlings, make separate holes or small trenches with a depth equal to the height of the pots in which the Tomato seedlings grew. Then carefully remove the Tomato seedlings from the containers in which they grew and carefully place them together with a lump of earth in the holes, being careful not to damage the roots. In order to remove Tomato seedlings without damage, it is necessary to thoroughly moisten the containers with seedlings at least an hour before transplanting. short, early varieties Tomatoes are placed so that there is a distance of at least 60 cm between the rows of tomatoes, and at least 30 cm between the bushes themselves in the rows. Tall varieties of tomatoes also require proper placement in open ground - 70 cm between rows and - 50 between bushes Tomatov. It's worth remembering that best time To plant Tomato seedlings, it is evening, and you should create shade for the plants using sheets of cardboard or thick paper.

Watering Tomato Plantings

Tomatoes should be watered regularly, especially in the first period after planting. After watering the Tomatoes, it is necessary to loosen the soil between the rows of Tomatoes to saturate the soil with oxygen. This has a beneficial effect on the processes of growth and ripening of future Tomato fruits. When Tomato plantings are not watered regularly, you may encounter a disease such as Tomato blossom end rot, especially in dry weather. After - 7-10 days, depending on the condition of the planted Tomato seedlings, it is recommended to use fertilizer prepared in the following proportions: - 40 gr. Superphosphate, - 60 gr. Garden mixture for - 10 liters of water. As an option, substitution is possible - 60 g. garden mixture per - 10 gr. Ammonium nitrate. If the Tomato plant has plumped up and become more massive, and the process of formation of Tomato ovaries is very slow, you will need to exclude all nitrogen-containing fertilizers from feeding.

Tips for successful cultivation Tomatoes in open ground

In order to grow high-quality, tasty and healthy Tomatoes, try to adhere to the following recommendations.

1. Tomatoes do not tolerate shading well; they are very light-loving. Tomatoes should be grown in areas where they can get maximum amount solar energy.
2. For good and proper growth of Tomatoes, they must be provided with a sufficient volume of moisture, this volume of water is about 2.5 liters daily, as a result of which it is necessary to ensure regular watering of Tomato plantings.
3. Try to pick only ripe Tomatoes; the longer the Tomato ripens naturally on the bush, the tastier and healthier it will be in the end.
4. It is recommended to fertilize Tomato plantings at their early stage of growth; in the future, the use of fertilizers should be stopped until the ovaries of future Tomatoes form. You should not fertilize the bushes during the formation of ovaries, as the growth process will be very slow and will not bring the desired result. The presence of a large number of flowers with complex racemes on a tomato bush does not always guarantee an excellent tomato harvest. Due to a lack of pollen, Tomato flowers may begin to fall off and we will end up with a poor harvest. In order to prevent such a development of the situation, it is necessary to use artificial pollination of Tomato flowers; this is a very effective and, most importantly, absolutely harmless method. This method of pollination is recommended to be carried out 2-3 times a week before lunch, by shaking the tomato stems.

Despite the fact that Tomatoes are heat-loving plants, very hot weather is a rather negative factor for them, since during the heat the redness of Tomatoes stops, this occurs due to the oversaturation of the fruit with red pigment. And ripened Tomatoes are more healthy and tasty than unripe ones. In such situations, artificial ripening of tomatoes is used, but this procedure only gives a good presentation; unfortunately, it does not add any benefit to the fruit. Tomatoes retain their beneficial features, only when ripening on the bushes.

Measures to promote accelerated ripening of tomatoes

Tomato bushes are prone to strong branching, and many shoots with a large number of ovaries begin to branch off from the central stem of the Tomato plant. These branches are called Stepsons, and the process of removing them is called Tomato Stepping. This stepsoning procedure must be done to avoid excessive load on the bush, due to too many ovaries on the stepson shoots, which are then transformed into fruits and these tomatoes will not have time to ripen on the bushes, which will ultimately lead to a poor-quality, poor harvest .

When forming a Tomato plant, it is necessary to leave the main stem and the stepson shoot that formed first, that is, the plant will consist of two stems. The remaining stepchild shoots on the Tomato Bush, which will appear later, must be pinched off at the initial stage of their growth, leaving no more than 1 cm. If you nevertheless notice that the stepchildren have grown quite large, then you need to pinch off only the tip of the shoot. Removing stepchildren from tomato bushes should be done regularly, once a week.

After the first 2 or 3 flower clusters form on the Tomato bush, you need to pinch off the tops of the plant, this way you will achieve earlier ripening of the Tomato fruits.

When harvesting Tomatoes in the fall, the main thing is not to be late, since Tomato fruits that linger on the branch at temperatures below 8 degrees quickly rot and deteriorate. It is better to pick Tomatoes early and put them in boxes with ripe fruits, since a ripe Tomato releases ethylene, which contributes to the ripening of other fruits.

Tomato Care

Feeding Tomatoes continues throughout the season, and it is better to do it every month. Fertilizer or compost must be applied between the rows of Tomatoes.

It is better to apply fertilizer for the planned planting of tomatoes 1-2 weeks before planting the seedlings. Preference should be given to fertilizers with a low nitrogen content in relation to other components.

Watering Tomatoes

Special attention should be paid to watering Tomatoes, due to the severe discomfort of Tomato plants, even with a very slight moisture deficiency. The consequence of insufficient watering of Tomatoes can be rotting and fragility of the plant itself, especially during hot weather. Tomatoes have a great need for calcium, obtained from the soil with the help of water. Mulching around Tomato plants avoids rapid loss of moisture due to evaporation from the soil.

When to plant tomatoes in open ground

The timing of planting tomatoes in the ground is very limited and varies not only in different regions our country, but even in different areas. Tomatoes are usually planted in open ground between June 6 and June 11. If you are in doubt when to plant, ask your neighbors who have been growing tomatoes for many years - they probably have own experience when exactly is the best time to do this specifically in your area. In our Nizhny Novgorod region, we usually plant tomato seedlings on June 6-7. Until this time, the threat of frost on the soil remains. In case of later frosts, you need to listen to the weather forecast in a timely manner and cover the tomatoes with film or lutrasil overnight. However, I have never done this myself - my perfectly hardened seedlings have more than once endured light frosts without any shelter.

How to prepare beds for growing tomatoes

First, let me remind you once again that you cannot plant tomatoes where any nightshade crops grew before - this can nullify all your efforts in growing seedlings and further care for plants. The best predecessors for tomatoes are legumes, root vegetables, and green crops.

In open ground, a sunny place, protected from cold winds, is allocated for planting tomatoes. Low, damp areas with close standing are unsuitable groundwater, which create unfavorable conditions for the root system of plants.

Tomato is less demanding on soil fertility and soil composition than others vegetable crops, but this does not mean that tomatoes can be planted in the ground without any fertilizer. Soil acidity should not be lower than pH = 5.5. Sandy and loamy soils require the addition of organic and mineral fertilizers and drainage. The need for nutrients changes during the growing season of tomatoes. In the first period (before the fruits begin to form), plants use only 5-7% of the consumed amount of fertilizer. As the green mass increases and especially the formation and growth of fruits, the consumption of nutrients increases sharply.

Tomatoes need everything necessary elements mineral nutrition, but most of all potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Lack of phosphorus reduces the absorption of nitrogen by plants, which leads to cessation of growth, delay in setting, formation and ripening of fruits. With mineral starvation, the leaves acquire a blue-green color, then grayish. Tomatoes are especially sensitive to phosphorus deficiency during the initial growth period, so superphosphate is usually immediately added to the soil for planting tomatoes.

Tomatoes, like other crops, need nitrogen during the period of intensive growth of plants and fruits. However, excess nitrogen in the soil is undesirable, since it causes a strong increase in green mass (the so-called “fatification”) to the detriment of fruiting. In addition, this leads to intensive accumulation of nitrates in fruits.

Potassium is necessary for the formation of stems, eliminates the harmful effects of elements that increase soil acidity, and improves the digestibility of other elements of mineral nutrition.

Based on this information, you can prepare the ideal soil for tomatoes. Humus, compost, and rotted manure can serve as a source of nitrogen. It is advisable to lighten heavy loams with sand. In addition, for 1 sq. m add 2 tablespoons of superphosphate and 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate.

Before planting seedlings, the ridges are watered with a hot solution of potassium permanganate (at the rate of 1 g per 10 liters of water). The seedlings are planted vertically, filling only the pot with soil mixture. Hybrids and varieties of tall plants are planted in the middle of the bed in one row or in a checkerboard pattern 50-60 cm apart. After planting, tomatoes are not watered for two weeks to prevent the plants from stretching.

Tomato pinching

Starting from a young age, tomato plants form in the axils of the leaves side shoots- stepsons. The removal of side shoots from tomatoes is carried out so that nutrients are not spent on excessive shoot formation and on the growth of fruits doomed to unripe. True, most early ripening varieties can be grown without pinching. For mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties, this operation is simply necessary. First of all, the shoots are removed from the axils of the leaves located below the first brush. These shoots generally lag behind the main ones in development, they will not have time to produce a harvest, and the juices will be taken away.

After the first cluster, the shoots are left so that the bush, depending on the variety, grows into 2-4 trunks; the remaining stepsons from top to bottom are systematically removed at least once every two weeks. You should not cut off the shoots at the base - they will grow back in a few days. When removing the stepson, a “stump” of 1-2 cm is left.

Stepchildren should be removed when they have grown no higher than 3-5 cm, without allowing them to outgrow. If you pinch large shoots, a wound remains on the stem and the plant experiences stress.

When the first tomato inflorescence begins to bear fruit, all lower leaves, especially those that touch the soil, must be removed. By the time the fruits on the first inflorescence ripen, not a single leaf should remain lower along the stem. It is advisable to remove leaves and shoots in sunny weather in the first half of the day so that the wounds have time to heal.

Pollination of tomatoes

The productivity of tomatoes largely depends on the number of fruits set. Tomatoes produce a large amount of high-quality pollen, suitable for pollinating their own and neighboring flowers. But the quality of the pollination process greatly depends on weather conditions. Temperature has the greatest influence on tomato pollination. At night temperatures below 13°, the anthers become deformed and pollen quality decreases. At high temperatures air (above 30-35°) ripe pollen grains lose viability, fertilization does not occur, flowers fall off (such overheating most often occurs in greenhouses - another reason why I prefer to grow tomatoes in open ground).

❧ To attract pollinating insects to the beds, greenhouses and greenhouses, plant bright annuals - honey plants, for example, mustard, rapeseed, coriander, basil, between the tomatoes. It is believed that these crops also improve the taste of tomato fruits.

But also in suitable temperature conditions It is advisable to “help” pollination of tomatoes a little. To do this, throughout the entire flowering period, you need to gently shake the plants every 2-3 days. This method helps to increase yields both on plants in open ground and on greenhouse tomatoes. Flowers are pollinated during the day in warm sunny weather by lightly shaking the flower brushes. In order for pollen to germinate on the stigma of the pistil, it is necessary to water the soil immediately after shaking or spray the flowers with a fine spray of water.

How to water tomatoes correctly

Early ripening varieties of tomatoes need to be watered only four times: at planting, 7-10 days after planting (watering should be plentiful), at the beginning of July and, finally, after July 20th. Large-fruited varieties need to be watered more often and, depending on the weather, every 2-3 days during drought. After watering, be sure to loosen. You can dig grooves between the rows of tomatoes and fill them with water. It is useful to cover the rows with weeded or cut grass and water over it. The water temperature should be 20-22 °C. Never water tomatoes with unsettled water. tap water, and even more so taken from a well or borehole. The garden must have a large-volume reservoir where water is heated to the required temperature and allowed to settle so that salts precipitate.

It is better to water tomatoes, like other crops, in the evening.

Remember that waterlogged soil, especially during the fruiting period, reduces the content of dry matter and sugar in tomato fruits, they become sour and watery, and their fleshiness also decreases.

Fertilizers for tomatoes. When should you feed tomatoes?

Tomatoes are fed based on their growing season. We have already talked about the fact that early stages Plant development requires nitrogen fertilizers. If you have properly prepared the soil for seedlings and the soil on the ridges, then additional nitrogen fertilizing may be minimal. For example, a single watering with a solution of chicken manure, fermented infusion of grass, and well-diluted slurry.

If your plants grow too quickly, have powerful stems and large, juicy, dark green leaves, they are most likely fattening from excess nitrogen. The situation can be corrected by temporarily stopping watering the plants, increasing the temperature and adding phosphorus fertilizers (3 tablespoons of superphosphate per 10 liters of water).

Before flowering, the plant needs increased doses of phosphorus fertilizers, which are applied to the soil in advance. If you neglected to add phosphorus when preparing the beds, you can do this already during the flowering period in the form of foliar feeding.

At the height of flowering, fertilizing with ash is appropriate (1-2 cups of ash in a bucket of water, leave for 24 hours, spray on the flowers and leaves in the evening). This procedure, among other things, helps prevent tomato diseases.

How to properly harvest tomatoes

At the beginning of August, all flowers and newly formed ovaries must be removed from bushes in open ground, especially from late-ripening varieties, since they will not have time to ripen anyway. In the greenhouse this is done 1-2 weeks later. To stop growth, the tops of indeterminate plants must be pinched; the nutrients will be directed to the ripening of the fruit. It is best to pick brown (beginning to turn red) fruits, which have 4-6 days left before ripening. If you regularly harvest just such fruits, the overall harvest will increase significantly, since the remaining fruits will receive more nutrition and develop faster. On the contrary, when the fruits are overripe, the overall yield decreases.

Juicy, tender tomatoes are very heat-loving and capricious plants. Not only do seedlings not like the cold, but also fruits that have already been harvested react negatively to low temperatures. Storing tomatoes in the refrigerator never lasts long, as the fruits begin to darken, lose their juiciness, and later simply rot.

The tomato loves light and warmth, reacting sharply to wind and excessive humidity. They need open ground that is not very heavy and neutral in acidity, so they should be planted on sandy and loamy soils, and the bed should be generously fed with ash and humus.

How to choose the right seeds for growing tomatoes

If you decide to plant tomatoes in open ground, then preparation for this should begin with the selection of seeds. For this:

Decide which varieties you would like to plant based on the growth of the bushes. If you have the opportunity to stretch trellises, then the option of purchasing tall varieties of tomatoes looks very attractive. If we provide them with opportunities proper care no, then you can choose low-growing and medium-growing tomatoes;
When choosing seeds, pay attention to the labels on the packaging. Varieties that should be planted in open ground are marked “For open ground.” If there is no such mark, this means that this variety needs greenhouse care;
Among the inscriptions on the packaging, data is also indicated taste qualities. You should not take those whose tastes are described as “good”. Tomatoes that are worth planting in your garden should have a taste rating of “excellent”;
take fruit ripening terms as seriously as possible. If the variety (regardless of whether it is tall or not) takes too long to ripen, you may not see the harvest, which will disappear under the gusts of autumn cold. Choose those varieties that develop no more than 100-105 days.

Preparing seeds for sowing

If you collected the seeds yourself, you need to be very careful in preparing them. It will be better if you follow a few tips when you start preparing seed material, the scheme of which is quite simple:

When collecting seeds, make sure that the plant is free of impurities, i.e., pure grade. Such seeds are more viable.
Check your seed material for similarity. When the percentage of similarity is at least 85%, the seeds can be called high-quality.
Remember that the similarity term is several years. If the seeds are of high quality, they will germinate well in 5 or 6 years. If you saved them in optimal conditions, when the humidity does not exceed 75%, and the temperature is maintained at 14-16 degrees, then we can say with confidence that you will be able to germinate seedlings from them in 10 or 11 years. You should not discard seeds that have been stored for more than one year.
Seed germination can be achieved at a temperature of 10-12 degrees Celsius. But they will sprout more intensively when the temperature rises to 25-28 degrees. How the seeds will germinate depends on their maturity, size, density, genetic predisposition and where the seed is formed within the fruit.
Before planting new plants, take the time to calibrate your seeds. To do this, examine them carefully, remove those that are injured, deformed, have traces of disease or discoloration.
The simplest way to calibrate seeds is to separate them by specific gravity. It just sounds abstruse, but in fact everything is very simple. Take any dish (jar, cup, etc.), pour a solution of table salt of 3-5% strength into it. When the salt has completely melted, drop the seeds in and shake. Heavy, living seeds will smoothly sink to the bottom of the dish. Dead, dry debris will float to the surface. They need to be collected and thrown away, or you can simply drain them along with the liquid. Wash live seeds clean water and dry.
Carry out the seed disinfection procedure. To do this, you should resort to one of simple ways. Firstly, this can be done using a dark solution of potassium permanganate. Don’t be afraid to burn the seeds; their thick skin will withstand this test, getting rid of all kinds of infections that can affect plants after planting in an open space. To do this, dip the seeds in the solution for 20-25 minutes, then carefully rinse with clean cold water. You can do it differently. Let 20 g of ash brew in 1 liter of water for two days. Then soak the seeds in the solution for 4-6 hours and rinse. After this, dry the seeds.
Apply growth activators. They can be bought in specialized stores, using according to the instructions. This preparation not only guarantees good similarity of seeds and friendly growth of seedlings for planting tomatoes in open space, but also strengthens them, making them more resistant to external factors. Remember that only a fresh solution of any of the drugs is allowed to be used. The processed material can be stored for no more than a day. If you fail to plant it at this time, it may disappear.
Seed treatment to improve germination is also carried out using water. This does not require additional treatment of seeds with chemical activators, but takes a little longer. You need to immerse the seeds in water with a temperature of 16-25 degrees and leave to stand for a day.
To increase the growth rate of plants, it is correct to germinate seeds at a temperature close to 25 degrees. To do this, use a lid from a regular jar or saucer. Take some soft paper (for example, a napkin), wet it, and place it on the bottom of the container for germinating seeds. Excess moisture must be removed from the container. Spread the seeds on the paper in an even layer and cover everything with a lid or saucer to protect future seedlings from drying out. When sprouts appear in half of the seeds, germination can be considered complete and the seeds are ready for planting.

Despite the fact that the tomato is a rather peculiar vegetable, excellent harvests in an open space you can get it by spending a minimum of effort on caring for plants, if you have your own scheme for working on the site with them. To do this, everything you do must be clearly verified and thought out, from choosing seeds and preparing beds in open space to feeding seedlings and harvesting.

Preparing a bed for planting tomatoes

The open space intended for planting tomatoes should be sunny and quiet. Think about what grew here last year. If these were tomatoes or potatoes, then our sprouts cannot be planted in this bed. Choose a spot where something else used to grow. Open ground must be prepared when there is about a week left before planting the seedlings. To do this, you need to carry out several simple operations:

treat the soil surface with a solution of copper sulfate;
dig up the soil;
apply organic fertilizers.

To prevent organic matter from “burning” the roots of the seedlings on planting days, you need to wait a week so that the decomposition processes slightly reduce their intensity. And only after that it’s time to plant.

Rules for planting tomato seedlings in open ground

The best time to plant tomato seedlings is the first half of June. To properly plant both tall and tall plants low-growing varieties, you need to perform several operations, from which a scheme for caring for tomatoes emerges:

It is correct to plant plants either on a cloudy day or in the evening when the sun goes down towards sunset.
Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the plant along with the soil from the pot in which it grew. In this case, its depth should be slightly greater than the height of the pot in which the seedlings are contained.
Place a small amount of fertilizer in the hole (especially if the soil is poor in minerals).
Carefully take the pot in your hand, cover it with your other hand, passing the prepared seedlings between your fingers, and turn it upside down.
Using light pressure, deform the bottom of the pot so that the tomato seedlings along with the soil fall out and remain in your hand.
When the plant is freed from the pot, lower the soil intertwined with tomato roots into the hole.
If the seedlings have already outgrown, their care during planting will change somewhat. Remove the bottom pair of leaves, and make the hole for planting such a plant a few centimeters deeper. This will allow new roots to grow on the surface of the stem.
Leave the plant lying in the hole on its side and water it. Watering should be repeated several times during the planting process so that the seedlings have enough moisture to active growth in future. The water will soak the roots, allowing them to more easily penetrate the soil.
Fill the hole with the plant with soil. The sprout can be left lying on its side for now. This will allow the overgrown stem to not sink so deeply into the cold soil.
Prepare pegs for tying up plants, even if the variety you choose is not a tall one.
Do not water the seedlings after filling the hole. An extra layer of water will create a hard crust on the ground, which will block access to air and solar warmth, complicating the care of the sprout. Lift the plant and tie it to the stake. In this case, the part of the plant that is covered with soil will remain in a horizontal position.
Cover the soil near the sprout with a light layer of mulch. Peat is best suited for this, but you can also use sawdust or chopped straw. This layer will protect the root of the plant from the burning rays of the sun when the heat rises, and the soil from drying out. Mulch also makes it easier to care for the area, preventing weeds from developing successfully.
When you finish planting the plants, all that remains is to provide proper care for them: keep the soil clean in the tomato planting area, remove weeds and occasionally water the plants.
Periodically it is necessary to fertilize tomatoes to improve productivity (for this you must develop your own scheme) and planting.

If you have taken care of your plants correctly, your harvest will surprise both your neighbors and yourself. Abundant bunches of bright tomatoes hanging on strong stems will not leave anyone indifferent. Even children will be happy to look into the garden bed to enjoy the fresh juicy fruits. Don’t forget that they will be happy to help you plant young plants and care for them.

One of the most respected ingredients vegetable salads, lover of greenhouses and daily care, "Senor Tomato" grows well on open beds. You just need to find the right approach to growing it. How to get healthy seedlings tomatoes, how to plan its planting and, with the help of fertilizing, ensure the presence of everything necessary in the soil - this article, accompanied by a photo, will tell you everything.

The origin of the plant is the key to its cultivation

It is curious that in the vast nightshade family, so generous with poisonous forms such as henbane or datura, there are only five truly edible plants. These are potatoes, eggplant, Bell pepper, physalis and tomato. Except for eggplant, they all come from the South American continent, which fully explains their claims to growing conditions.

In particular, the tomato was exported by the Spaniards from Peru. Forming in this region, plants evolutionarily adapted to such climatic conditions as:

well-warmed, dry mountain air of the subtropical zone;
absence of tall plants - competitors for light;
high soil moisture in mountain valleys.

Sufficient moisture is required to grow tomatoes.

Similar conditions in middle lane easiest to create in a greenhouse with drip irrigation, but if you try, then even in open ground the tomatoes will turn out large and juicy.

Which varieties to choose

Over the five hundred years that have passed since the appearance of tomatoes in Europe, many varieties have been bred for both greenhouses and open plantations. The latter are more tolerant of a decrease in average daily temperatures, can grow without additional lighting and complete their life cycle somewhat faster. Among the best varieties the following may be mentioned:

Mystery. Low-growing, very early hybrid with strong shoots and abundant leaf mass. It branches vigorously, so don’t forget to take stepson, and you will get the harvest 2.5 months after sowing the seeds.
Anastasia. Another very early hybrid with powerful tassels. The fruits have a characteristic tapering tip.
Crimson giant. It has the largest fruits among mid-early varieties - each can reach 500-700 g. Resistant to fungal infections.

Among all the varieties, choose the one that is suitable for your region.

Roma. A Dutch canned variety with small but smooth fruits, the number of which reaches up to 20 pieces per cluster.
Mushroom basket. Mid-season variety that requires pinching and staking. The shape of the fruit is interesting: each tomato seems to consist of two dozen narrow slices. Looks unusual in winter pickles.

Attention! Do not try to propagate hybrids from seeds. Descendants are susceptible to the phenomenon of variety splitting and will certainly disappoint you by not meeting the expected result.

Healthy seedlings are the key to a luxurious harvest

Remembering the Peruvian origin of the plant, we grow seedlings at a temperature of +25 degrees. If you want to discard unsuitable seeds, soak them in salted water: those that float have lost their germination, so we throw them away. We sow the seeds disinfected in potassium permanganate (20 minutes) in even rows in boxes under the film.

Since our tomatoes will live in open ground, the seeds can be hardened before sowing. To do this, soak the soaked seeds alternately for half a day in the room and half a day in the refrigerator.

The main concern when obtaining tomato seedlings is to prevent them from stretching out. The tomato is very light-loving and in cloudy spring conditions it will grow with a long, thin stem. We prevent this trouble in two ways:

highlight fluorescent lamps, in the first days of development around the clock;
We calculate the sowing time in such a way as to plant seedlings no older than 50-60 days.

Tomato seedlings

At the stage of the first true leaves, we pick out the seedlings. In order not to subsequently injure the root system again, we plant the seedlings in individual cups from which they can be easily shaken out, or even in ones that will decompose in the soil. They can be made from:

old newspapers;
substrates for laminate;
pieces of greenhouse film;
toilet paper rolls.

Advice. Try growing seedlings on coconut substrate. The root system on it is formed strong and healthy.

We bury the plant along the cotyledons and, in order to prevent the “black leg”, mulch it with humus with the addition of ash. When the daytime temperature outside exceeds 10 degrees, we begin hardening the young tomatoes. To do this, we display them daily on open air, first only in the shade, and later on the sunny side.

How do site conditions and distance between plants affect the yield?

Tomatoes in open ground should be grown so that they feel as if they are surrounded by sunny Andean valleys. On permanent place residence, we plant seedlings when the last frost has passed. At the latitude of Moscow it is the end of May, to the north it is the beginning of June, to the south it is mid-May.

Advice. Plan to plant seedlings in cloudy weather or in the evening.

We choose the distance between the bushes taking into account the fact that each leaf should:

receive maximum light for the formation of sugars;
be freely blown with air to avoid fungal infections;
be available for inspection for mineral deficiency or pest damage.

We plant early-ripening tomatoes at a distance of 40 cm between neighboring bushes, late-ripening ones - 50 cm.

We care with love and competence

We want more fruits from the tomato and earlier, but it is in no hurry and strives to produce the maximum green mass. The problem is solved by pinching - removing excess shoots. In open ground, we form tomatoes into 1, less often 2, stems. In the second case, we leave the stepson, who had the good fortune to appear under the very first flower brush.

In August, we pinch the top of the stem to finally stop its growth for the benefit of fruit ripening, and we also gradually tear off the lower leaves.

The tomato is demanding on the presence of moisture around the roots, and in the summer it rapidly evaporates through the soil capillaries. To avoid this, we loosen the soil in the beds, breaking the crust into lumps. Mulching also helps: we spread peat, sawdust or straw around the bushes.

Carry out pinching of tomatoes

A ripening crop rapidly draws minerals from the soil, so don’t forget about removing weeds – competitors for food – and fertilizing. For processing 1 square meter plantations, dilute 10 g of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate in a bucket of water and feed:

two weeks after planting the seedlings;
after the appearance of ovaries.

Tomatoes are capable of self-pollination, but to ensure a guaranteed result, it is better to help them: lightly shake the bushes or knock on their stems. You can plant honey plants, such as mustard, along the edges of the plot. The bees attracted to them will probably visit the tomatoes.

We organize watering correctly

The frequency and amount of watering depends on the weather. On average, we water tomatoes once a week, thoroughly soaking the soil between the rows or at the root. If possible, avoid getting water on the leaves to prevent burns. During the ripening period, we increase the frequency of watering.

The main thing when organizing watering tomatoes is regularity. If you take a long break and then water “twice”, the plants will greedily begin to absorb water, and this is almost guaranteed to lead to cracking of the fruits. It is better to water the first time in a reduced portion, and then water properly the next day.

Drip irrigation of tomatoes

The first ripe, fragrant tomatoes will be ready in mid-August. We remove them as they ripen so that they do not interfere with the filling of their fellows. If August is cool, you will have to pick the fruits in brown or even blanzhesky ripeness. Keeping them longer means exposing them to late blight. But even if no signs of disease are found, we do not compost the tops, but burn them.

The tomatoes acclimatized wonderfully in the forest zone. Create conditions close to those of your family, and they will reward you with juicy, sweet fruits that will be suitable for salads, vegetable stews, and winter pickled platters.

First you need to select suitable seeds for open ground, taking into account the ripening period and frost resistance required for your region. And in the future it is advisable to use seeds prepared independently.

Now you need to check the seeds for completeness. Fill them up warm water with potassium permanganate added to it. Throw away the floating seeds without regret - they will not germinate. The rest need to be soaked for germination. I do it this way: I wrap the seeds in a handkerchief, moisten them with warm water, put them in a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator for hardening. After two days I transfer it to a warm place. Usually on the third day the seeds germinate and can already be planted.

I buy soil mixture for seedlings from finished form, but any gardener can prepare it himself: take one part of garden soil, peat and humus and mix everything. To one bucket of the finished mixture you need to add two glasses of ash. Now you can proceed to sowing seedlings. The most optimal time for sowing is the end of February - the beginning of March. I put her in special peat cups so that they can be immediately planted in the ground.

But you can also plant them in boxes. The planting pattern is indicated on the seed bags; they are usually planted 2 by 2 cm, the preferred depth is 1 cm. After planting, be it cups or boxes, they must be watered, covered with film, and placed in a warmer place. Check regularly for seedlings. As soon as they appear, the film must be removed and the planting boxes must be moved to a bright place - on a windowsill, table by the window, etc. After two true leaves appear, the plants must be transplanted into separate pots, deepened to the cotyledon leaves. To make the roots more branched, the central root can be pinched by one third.

On average, seedlings are grown from 45 to 80 days. About two to three weeks before planting in the garden, you need to start hardening off the plants - significantly reduce watering and acclimate them to direct sunlight, take the plants out onto the balcony or leave the window open more often.

Growing tomatoes in open ground

Now it's time to plant our seedlings in the garden. Think about the location for the garden bed in advance. It is advisable that onions, carrots, cabbage or legumes previously grew here. Choose a place that is sunny and protected from the wind. Never plant tomatoes in damp, low-lying areas, because such an environment will negatively affect their roots. Also, you should not plant tomatoes in places where potatoes and tomatoes previously grew, since there is a high probability of tomatoes becoming infected with late blight.

Experts advise starting to prepare the beds in the fall. Humus is scattered over it; if the soil is too acidic, then ash is added. They're digging everything up. It is advisable to leave large lumps at the top, then the snow will linger in this place, as a result of which the soil here will be well moistened. In the spring you need to dig up the bed, crushing all the lumps of earth.

I prepare the beds about a week or two before planting the seedlings in the ground. Before digging the bed, I fill it with humus, about one to two buckets per 1 square meter. m. Then I dig it up, carefully crushing the clods and cover it with dark polyethylene so that the earth warms up.

Now you can plant the seedlings in the bed prepared for them. Depending on the weather, I replant tomatoes from May 15 to June 5, preferably in cloudy weather. I chose the most convenient planting scheme for myself: I plant in two rows with a distance between the bushes of about 30-40 cm. If the tomato variety has tall bushes, then I increase the distance to 50 cm. Before planting, I water the holes with a solution of potassium permanganate. I try to deepen the plants a little so that later roots will form on the trunk, buried with soil, which strengthens the root system. I install a stake for tying up plants.

Immediately after planting, I water the seedlings generously with warm water. I sprinkle the ground around the bushes with sawdust or chopped straw. This will ensure moisture retention and eliminate the need to frequently loosen the soil. For about ten days, while the tomatoes take root after planting in open ground, I do not water them.

Growing and caring for tomatoes

Well, our seedlings were successfully planted and took root in the beds. Now the main concern is watering - often, but little by little. It is also necessary to monitor weeds and remove them in time, then the soil will warm up well in the sun. You also need to regularly loosen the soil to a depth of about 5 cm.

Usually the plant is formed into one stem, which should have three inflorescences. The stepsons are constantly removed, after the fruits have formed on the last inflorescence, the top is cut off. A few years ago I tried new way, which significantly increases the yield of tomatoes.

It consists of the following: I leave the lower stepsons; when they grow enough, I remove the leaves from them and cover part of the stem with earth. After some time, the covered stem takes root. Thus, from one bush you get three, and accordingly the harvest is much larger. I remove the remaining stepsons.

By the way, you can cook from them good remedy against insects gnawing plant leaves. To do this, 4 kg of stepsons or leaves need to be poured into 10 liters of water and boiled for 10-15 minutes, then add 40-50 g laundry soap. Spray the plants affected by pests with the cooled solution. And to prevent late blight, I spray tomatoes with garlic solution.

I make it like this: pour 200 g of chopped garlic cloves with a liter of water and leave for 2-3 days, strain and dilute it with 10 liters of water. Spray the tomato bushes with the resulting product.

Tomato fruits do not require large quantity water, but if the soil is dry, the green fruits begin to rot. Nightly watering is optimal, about half a liter of water for each bush; after watering, the soil should be sprinkled with sawdust or earth. Please note that you cannot water tomatoes with dry soil abundantly, otherwise the fruits will begin to crack.

Tomatoes can be grown without fertilizing, but it is necessary to increase the yield. I do several feedings throughout the season.

20 days after planting in the ground, I apply root fertilizing with mullein (dilute a liter of liquid mullein with 10 liters of water and add a glass of ash), half a liter of fertilizing for each bush. 20-30 days before the final ripening of the fruits, I repeat the fertilizing. In order for the fertilizers to penetrate deeper into the ground, I pierce the soil between the rows with a pitchfork. In order to improve fruit set, I spray the bushes with boron solution (1 g. boric acid I dilute in a liter hot water).